


Don't Cost Nothin'

by FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Ed ships Connverse, Family, Family Feels, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I barely ever proofread, Post-Steven Universe: The Movie, Steven might be OOC I never wrote him before, Two Good Boys working out their feelings, just an fyi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21686095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom/pseuds/FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom
Summary: Steven knows everything is good now. And when ever it may be not-good, it will be good. He has confidence in that. Him and his family can get through anything together. No reason to dwell on the past.No matter how much it affects him in the present....Edward's been through hell and back, but he has no right to complain. Not when other people have it so much worse. He'll trudge on, he'll pull through. He'll do whatever he has to, to help his family.No matter how it affects him in the long-run.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Steven and Edward
Comments: 46
Kudos: 214





	1. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bleeding out in a Strawberry Battlefield kind of sucks, but luckily a boy with a pink jacket and magic-spit happens by.

The sky was orange here, the clouds that drifted by were dipping just barely into its hue and the slight reddish light shone onto the fields of strawberries.

Lion trotted through the vines and leaves and fruit, ears flicking this way and that. They flicked towards a particularly attention-grabbing sound. Lion turned his attention towards it. …

There it was again.

Lion trotted over, his nose twitching. A bundle of red was groaning and twitching, and _reeked_ of copper…

There was a pool of red around it.

_Blood._

Lion withdrew quickly, snorting out the smell and giving an aggressive shake of his head.

Something was _bleeding_ here.

…

Well, no one else was going to eat it-

“grragh….”

Lion’s ears flicked up. The bundle of red rose slightly, then collapsed back onto the ground.

“ack- ow….crap….”

_It spoke._

Lion snorted. It was alive. It was fighting. It was sentient. So he should help, right? 

…

Yeah he doesn’t know how to do that.

…

_Steven can fix._

Lion turned away from it, roared, and leaped through space.

* * *

Steven was chatting with several of the new gems of Earth, happily jumping from one topic to the next.

Then Lion leaped into the middle of the crowd, sending gems jumping left and right to get out of the way. One single (admittedly hilarious) gem yelled _MY LEG_ as she was thrown to the side. Steven himself was tossed upwards but luckily gravity was a myth to him so he just fluttered down.

“Lion!” Steven scolded as he made contact with the ground “Don’t just charge your way into crowds! Someone could’ve gotten hurt!”

Lion ignored him (as per usual) and shoved his snout into Steven’s face, pawing at his chest. His ears were laid back and he let out a high-pitched whine. Steven frowned, petting back the lion’s mane. 

“What’s wrong buddy?”

Lion took a gentle hold of Steven’s sleeve and gave a tug. A universal sign of ‘come with me’. Steven nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. The assembled gems all gave him rather concerned stares. 

Steven mustered up a (hopefully) encouraging smile. “Lion needs me to follow him, okay? I’ll be back in a bit.”

The gems nodded and Steven took a (subtle) deep breath before climbing onto Lion’s back. He roared and they dove into the portal it produced, landing in the Strawberry Battlefield. 

Steven didn’t have any time to wonder why they were there as Lion was sprinting through the fields. It most likely would’ve been easier to see if the sun hadn’t set. Darkness was falling quickly. Lion shoved his nose almost into the ground, snuffling around. It didn’t take too long for him to catch whatever scent he was sniffing for, and he slowed to a halt, looking over his shoulder at Steven.

Steven squinted, struggling to see in the dark. His eyes haven’t adjusted yet, but there was a vague lumpy shape on the ground. He slid off of Lion’s back and approached. 

Then there was that _smell._

Steven tried not to panic, pulling the collar of his shirt over his nose. Blood.

“H-hey, are you all right?” Steven asked, dropping to his knees. He swallowed, tentatively reaching forward. With this much blood- what if- oh stars what if this person was-

“I’ve been better.” Croaked out the person in front of him.

Steven couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“Y-yeah, I figured.” Steven took a breath and shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the current situation. He reached for the person “Here, let me help you up-“ as soon as his fingers made contact, the person lashed out with a swift kick, one that Steven was barely able to dodge. They scrambled back, left hand curling protectively over the deep gash in their side.

“BACK OFF!” They spat. Their yellow eyes all but glowed in the low light. Their skin looked almost ghostly, pale enough to compare to Onion.

Steven eyed their wound. “I’m sorry for scaring you, but let me help you.”

…

No response.

Steven looked back up to the person’s eyes. They glared, yellow eyes almost glossy. Steven forced a smile.

“I promise, I’m going to help.”

…

They either decided to believe him or wasn’t…there, enough to protest. 

“Fine.” They mumbled. “One wrong move and I’m knocking your teeth out.”

Steven nodded. He moved closer, keeping his movements mindful. Mindful for both the sake of this person, and for the sake of not touching the blood. 

Stars he hated blood.

He kneeled in front of the person, straightening up and taking a slow breath. He licked his hand and reached out, touching the person’s side

And got punched for it.

Hard.

Right in the nose.

“Ow!” Steven yelped, cupping his hands around his nose.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!?” They snapped.

Steven groaned “That was good punch, geez….”

“YOU’RE NOT ANSWERING THE FUCKING QUESTION-“ they were cut off by the tell-tale glow of Steven’s healing power at work. Their eyes redirected to their wound, and the pink glow and sparkles that magic-d it shut.

…

“What the hell.”

Steven couldn’t help but laugh. A quick smooch of his thumb and pressing it to his nose patched it right up with a cute little flash of light.

“Hee hee- sorry. I really should’ve opened with that.” He grinned “I have healing powers. It’s, uh, powered by my spit.”

…

“Ew.” They said.

Steven laughed again “Yeah, I know, I know. Anyway, my name’s Steven. Let me help you up.”

“I don’t need your help to stand up!” They spat again, stumbling up to their feet. Steven shrugged and got up himself (the blood didn’t worry him so much now that he knew the person was going to be okay.)

“I’m Edward. Ed.” The person said.

Steven grinned mischievously “Hi Edward-Ed. Nice to meet you.”

Ed’s eyes narrowed.

Steven chuckled, throwing his hands up in mock-defeat “Sorry, sorry, couldn’t resist.” He looked around. “What are you doing here, anyway? Are you by yourself?”

Ed seemed to eye him a moment, almost contemplative. 

Steven waited.

Ed shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’m by mys-eELEEEHHHHH?????”

Steven blinked.

“THESE STRAWBERRIES ARE HUGE WHAT THE HELL!?” Ed yelled, immediately poking and prodding one of the mentioned berries. 

Steven grinned “They’re magic.” Then a frown “Um. So, you just…. Ended up here, alone?”

Ed took a moment to respond, taking a big bite out of a strawberry.

…

Not a bad idea. Steven made a note to come back later and try some.

Ed wiped his mouth, seemingly satisfied with the strawberry. He looked over to Steven. Again, he hesitated. Contemplative.

“…Yeah.”

“…With that wound?”

“Yes.”

Steven frowned. Ed glared.

…

Yeah, okay. Ed didn’t trust him. That’s fine. At least Steven was able to help.

“Okay.” Steven said, deciding to change the subject. “Do you want to use my phone?”

Ed blinked. He looked around, looking more confused by the second. He looked back at Steven. “Where the hell would you keep a phone out here?”

“…Right here?” Steven said, fishing his out of his pocket. Ed gave the phone a look that could be summarized with ‘???’ He moved his eyes back up to Steven, raising an eyebrow.

“Um.” Steven blinked. He clicked it on and unlocked it before handing it to Ed. “Here, just use it. Call whoever you need to.”

Ed’s eyes were huge, staring at the lit-up screen. “… _That’s_ a phone?”

“…Yes?”

“…Okay…” Ed slowly reached out and took it. He fumbled with it a bit, looking more confused by the second. He tapped at the screen, looking far too focused.

“…Do you know what a phone is?” Steven asked.

“Well, I _thought_ I did!” Ed spat. He handed it back to Steven. “That doesn’t look like any phone- any _thing_ I’ve seen!” He groaned, dragging his hand down his face. He sighed, looking around. He looked tired. Steven guessed that was understandable, but so many things here didn’t add up. He wasn’t a gem or anything, the blood was evident enough of that. So why would he be here, alone, and injured?

Steven checked the time on his phone before pocketing it.

…It was around bedtime, anyway.

“Um… well, uh, if you’re tired we can rest up at my place?” Steven offered.

Ed’s (now signature) glare swung back at him. “You live around here?”

“Haha, no. But I got a good ride- where is he?” Steven looked around. Lion had wandered off somewhere. He sighed, rolling his eyes and reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a wrapper full of Lion-Licker Brand Chips (they were terrible but Lion loved them).

_Crinkle._

…

“Wha-“

“Mrowr.”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?” Ed screeched, flailing back into a fighting stance. Steven looked up at Lion, who responded by putting his paw on Steven’s face and leaning in for the chips.

Steven chuckled, pushing Lion back gently. He gave Ed a smile 

“This is Lion. He’s my pal.” 

Ed kept his glare.

“He won’t hurt you, promise!” Steven said. Lion tried to snatch the chips, pawing absently at the bag. Steven frowned, looking at Ed’s noticeably uncomfortable stance. 

Cue light bulb.

“He’s friendly too! Here, “ Steven grabbed Ed’s wrist - not too abruptly and given the lack of punches he assumed Ed was fine with it - and guided his hand to Lion’s snout. 

Ed glared. Lion stared. Then put a paw on Ed’s face. 

…

Ed awkwardly shuffled forward a bit, much to both Lion and Steven’s confusion. He then proceeded to shove his face into Lion’s mane.

Lion….seemed fine with this.

Steven smiled. “Yeah he’s really fluffy. Come on.” He climbed onto Lion’s back, offering his hand to Ed. 

Ed seemed skeptical, but gave Lion a quick glance. A silent conversation was held, and Ed gave a snort.

“I don’t need your help up.”

“Oh? Okay.” Steven said, taking his hand back. Ed scrambled on, kind of squirrel-like.

…

Ed looked like he was trying to not be excited.

Steven grinned. “All right, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lovely story about two good boys working out their feelings and problems together. Pretty much everyone in the Steven Universe cast is gonna show up at some point. For FMA, many of them will be mentioned - mainly Al and Trisha - but I don't really have it planned for them to actually show up.
> 
> ...Also I'm kind of tempted to add, like, an AMA for chapter milestones or whatever. Like, every 5ish chapters. What do you think?


	2. Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teleporting sucks and everything about Steven is weird.

Lion skidded to a halt, leaving a trail through the sandy beach. Steven slid off of his back, giving him a friendly pat on the neck.

“Thanks, buddy.” He said fondly. He looked up and saw a distinct lack of Ed. His heart felt like it stopped. Did they accidentally leave him behind? Did he fall off before they jumped? Did he fall off _while_ they were jumping? What would even happen to him?

Lion looked to the side opposite of Steven, scrunching up his nose. Snorting, he got up and trotted away. Ed was hunched over on the ground, arms tight around his stomach.

Steven’s relief was brief, but there. He hurried over to Ed’s side. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did that cut open up again?”

Ed waved him off, covering his mouth with his other hand. “Nauseous.” He said, squinting his eyes shut.

Steven slouched a bit. “Oh, that’s it?”

“Mmmph.” Ed moaned, falling face-first onto the sand.

Steven sat down, rubbing a comforting hand on Ed’s back. “There there.”

Ed gave an unintellectual mumble in response. He… seemed find. Steven eyed the dark red staining Ed’s coat, obvious even in just the moon’s light. He….was fine. Ed was fine. That blood didn’t _mean_ anything anymore. It was okay.

Steven bit the inside of his check, laboriously pulling his eyes away from the blood and looking out over the ocean. As always, it calmed him down. Just this large body of water, gently sloshing away at the shore as the stars and moon watched their dancing reflections. He closed his eyes and listened to it.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

He was pulled from it too soon, in his mind. Ed sat up, groaning in displeasure as he no doubt just passed the worse of his nausea. His eyes widened again.

“….what the hell. How did we get here- where did that lion go- where are we?”

Steven rolled his eyes and quickly withdrew his hand. “Okay, which one of those questions do you want me to answer first?”

Ed furrowed his brow. “How did we get here?”

“Lion made a warp-portal thing and jumped through it.” Steven said.

Ed took a moment to process this response. Apparently it checked out enough for him to move on to the next question. “How did he do that?”

“I-“ …He was embarrassed how confidently he started to answer that and had to just kind of trail off when he realized he had no idea how Lion worked. “- don’t know.”

Ed snorted. His eyes hadn’t looked away from the ocean.

“Okay, where are we?”

Steven smiled. He knew the answer to _that_ question pretty well. “This is Beach City. More specifically- the beach. I live over there.” He flicked his hand towards the Temple, sitting innocently on the shore. Ed blinked, finally looking away from the ocean and looking up at the Temple.

Another flash of surprise crossed his face, but he seemed to forcefully swipe it from his face. He turned away, grumbling. His eyes locked back onto the vast body of water in front of him.

“Is that the ocean?”

Steven grinned. “Yeah, it’s pretty, right? Have you never seen it?”

Another pause. Ed shook his head. When he spoke, he was oddly quiet. Awed, perhaps. “Haven’t had the chance.”

Steven’s grin grew wider. It was nice seeing people react to new and wonderful things. His own eyes set back onto the sea. Despite everything he’s seen, everything he’s been through…the ocean was always beautiful. Beach City… was home.

… He’s got things to do.

“Okay, well…” Steven stood up, dusting the sand off of his jeans. “I can get dinner started, if you want.”

Ed’s attention snapped to him the moment he had said ‘dinner’. He got up like a shot, already heading towards the Temple’s stairs.

“Sounds good, let’s go.” He said.

Ah, he was one of those. Note to self: never leave food in between Ed and Amethyst.

Steven didn’t have to make too much of an effort to catch up to Ed. When he got to the short boy’s side, he started talking “So, you can borrow some of my clothes while I wash the ones you’re wearing. The bathroom’s inside, to the left of the…er, magic crystally-looking part, if you want to wash up. You fine with T-shirts?”

Ed gave him a quick glance then looked away. He took a moment to think. “…Sure. It’d probably get oil on it, so keep that in mind.”

“Oil?” Steven blinked. “Are you a cyborg?”

Ed’s face went blank and Steven immediately wanted to punch himself in the face. Was he really so insensitive? Why did he say that? Geesh, Steven, be a bit more mature!

Ed rolled up his sleeve, revealing a metal arm that Steven kind of wished he’d punch him with. Ed began to explain, oblivious to Steven’s self-deprecating train of thought.

“Lost my arm, got this one now.”

Steven mentally slapped himself “I-I’m sorry, I should’ve been more-“

Ed cut him off. “Don’t be.” His eyes were a dark as his tone was sharp.

Oh stars.

The self-loathing was practically dripping from his voice. Steven swallowed. What happened? How could he help-?

“So can I just kick down the door or are you going to open it?”

Steven jumped a bit, not having realized they made it to the door. He laughed a bit awkwardly and just pushed it open. “I never have it locked, come on in.”

The house was currently empty, with the exception of Cat Steven sleeping lazily on the couch. She gave a welcoming squeak before rolling over and going back to sleep.

After a quick tour, Steven went upstairs to grab a few clothes for Ed. Red was clearly his color, and Steven still had those shirts from a few years ago and they were just the right size for Ed. He….was on the shorter side, Steven had noticed.

Maybe it had something to do with the metal arm. That kind of stress on the body can really mess with it.

Steven paused in his clothing search as his thoughts once again went to this strange boy he was currently housing.

How did he end up in that field, with the wound? And his arm…And why did he hate himself so much?

But the loudest thought of all was the mantra of Steven’s heart.

_How can I help? How can I help?_

Steven took a deep breath. He’ll…figure it out. He’s sure.

The clothing Steven had decided on was one of his older shirts- the red one with a star- and a pair of dark-gray sweatpants he never remembered getting.

He started down the stairs, only making it halfway down before he spotted on the edge of his vision.

Ed was staring intently at…the painting.

“Who’s this?” Ed asked suddenly. Steven jumped a bit.

“Oh. Uh. That’s my mom.” He said with an awkward chuckle. ”She’s. Uh. Gone.”

Ed didn’t look at him, but his face fell.

Steven had another urge to punch himself in the face. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He must’ve sounded too… whatever feeling he has about her. And now Ed seemed concerned.

Steven forced a grin. “Well, uh, anyway, here.” He handed Ed the clothes.

Ed took a moment to look away from the painting. But when he did it was to take a moment to scrutinize the set of clothing sitting innocently in Steven’s hands.

“…Thanks.” Ed said, taking it. He turned and started down the stairs, and not looking back said “What’re you making for dinner?”

“I was just gonna order pizza, honestly.” Steven said, laughing awkwardly. Ed gave him a weird look. He was silent at he carried on the rest of the way to the bathroom. When the door clicked shut behind him, Steven sighed. He just texted his order to the Pizzas – a simple pepperoni, he didn’t know what Ed would want anyway. Once the text was sent, he all but collapsed back onto the couch, craning his neck to look up at the ceiling.

What has Edward been through? How can he help him?

…Maybe tomorrow he’ll try and get a hold of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. They might know what to do.

The bathroom door opened. Steven straightened up, looking other to Ed. He had his hair back in a ponytail now, his bloodied set of clothes in a…pile. It looked as if he tried to fold it, at least. His boots were set on top of the clothes and-

Another glint of metal caught Steven’s eye.

His foot was metal too.

Steven swallowed down the lump in his throat and blurted out a bit too quickly, “How’re the clothes?”

“Boring.” Ed immediately responded, looking exasperated as he picked at the collar of the t-shirt.

Steven blinked “Sorry….?”

The blond looked at him intently “Can I make them cooler?”

“Sure? Go ahead, I don’t wear them anymore.” Steven said with a shrug.

Ed grinned a bit …. Actually, Steven didn’t know if there was a single word to describe that expression. It was like excited, relieved with a hint of totally-out-there cartoon super villain.

Ed dropped the clothes on the coffee table before clapping his hands together. There was a flash of blue light and…

Well Steven didn’t know how Ed expected to make the clothes cooler, but Steven certainly hadn’t expected that.

Ed had kept the red color of the shirt, but the design on it was totally different now. It kind of looked like a… t-rex-goat, laughing maniacally in front of some fire. The end of the sleeves were now torn and frayed, giving the outfit a real bad-boy kind of look. The sweatpants were now just black, with…. …

Y’know, he didn’t even know how to begin to describe those. The best description he could think of is it looked like something Sadie would put on the advertisements for her band.

Ed was grinning smugly, looking at Steven as if asking for his opinion.

Honestly.

“That _is_ a lot cooler.” Steven said, stars in his eyes.

Ed’s grin grew wider “Want me to do your outfit?”

…Well, Pearl probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon to see it….

“Sure!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't convince me Steven wouldn't love Ed's taste in fashion. Also! Fun fact! In FullMetal Alchemist: Curse of the Crimson Elixer (for the PS2, fun game, cool story) Ed gets nauseous doing anything resembling teleporting.


	3. Time for Learning!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cool outfits and Gem Lessons

“Alchemy is the deconstruction and reconstruction of matter,” Ed explained as he looked over the cloth he was working with. “, as a science, it needs to follow certain laws. Something can’t be made from nothing, and vice-versa. Alchemists call this rule ‘Equivalent Exchange’.”

Honestly, Steven didn’t have too good a grasp on the topic.

While on the task of making some cool outfits, Steven asked what Ed was exactly doing with the hand-clapping and glowy light and stuff. The shorter boy had immediately launched into an explanation that went too fast for the young hybrid to really grasp.

Ed seemed passionate about it- and knowledgeable too. Probably skilled as well, considering the impressive work he made with this science – with alchemy.

“So… you make stuff from other….stuff?” Steven cringed internally as the question left his mouth. Duh.

Ed made a so-so motion with his flesh hand “It’s not just transformation. You need to understand the chemical composition and the physical make up. Then you need to understand how to manipulate that matter and how to direct the energy needed to do so.”

“Sounds complicated.” Steven sighed.

Ed just shrugged “I guess. I’ve been studying for a while, so it’s just second nature to me.”

“How old were you when you started?” he asked.

“Uh… Six?” Ed hummed, tapping a finger against his chin “I mean, it was just a casual interest when I was younger. I think I was about….eight, when I started studying it seriously.”

Steven couldn’t help but stare at him. Even with all the stuff he’s seen and done, this just seemed so out there for someone so young. “You must be super smart!” he said sincerely.

Ed rolled his eyes, his lips twitching into a smirk. “Heh, I guess.” If you looked closely you could see a meter labelled ‘Ed’s Ego’ fill up.

Then the small alchemist launched into passionate lecture, but once he started talking about arrays and signs Steven ended up tuning him out. He was half-convinced Ed didn’t expect him to understand anyway. The task at hand seemed to take up Ed’s attention, and the lecture seemed more the boy just thinking out loud.

Steven just let him talk.

It’s good to be so passionate about something, definitely. And with the almost dying and what-not, Steven decided Ed had earned the right to ramble on about whatever made him happier.

Steven was tugging on a super-cool looking outfit Ed has made when the Warp Pad started up. The high-pitch whine and bright pillar of light was hard to not notice. And boy did Ed notice. His yellow eyes were locked on the beam until it settled down and one of the Gems stepped onto the floor.

Oh.

Steven suppressed a sigh.

Pearl.

“Hello, SteveeeEEEWWWHAT ARE YOU _WEARING!?_ ” she said in an almost squawking fashion.

“A new jacket.” Steven said with a smile. His flicked up the collar a bit, shooting her some finger guns “Cool, right?”

Pearl made a face.

Steven shrugged “Eh, I like it.”

“Yeah, hi.” Ed interrupted, waving his hand in the air. He motioned to Pearl “Who the hell is she and where did she come from?”

“Oh, uh, hello.” Pearl blinked, her blue eyes snapping onto the young alchemist. “Steven, I didn’t know you were having a friend over! Who is this?”

“This is Edward.” Steven said with a smile.

“Oh! A human?” Pearl blinked, giving Ed a skeptical look.

Ed’s eyes widened “Are you _not?”_

Pearl gave Steven a look™.

“Oh.” Steven said as it finally caught up to him that he owed Ed a lot of explanation. Pearl sighed.

“Well Edward, no, I’m not a human. I’m what’s known as a ‘Gem’. We’re a space-faring species that-“ Pearl went on to explain. Steven immediately tuned her out. He’s heard – and given – this lecture many times and it was practically white noise at this point.

Instead he watched Ed. The blond’s attention was on Pearl, and a minute in or so he shuffled over to his small pile of belongings that had been fished out of his coat and grabbed a worn and frayed leather-bound notebook. Then his attention swung back to Pearl and locked on, book open, pen out, scribbling down notes as Pearl spoke.

Then Ed made a terrible mistake.

_He asked Pearl a question._

….Okay, well, ‘mistake’ was a bit harsh, but was the funniest way Steven could think of to phrase it.

Anyway, once the question was out, Pearl absolutely lit up. Her blue eyes turned all kinds of sparkly as she drew out a chalkboard and chalk from her gem. Ed immediately asked about that and Pearl shot into a passionate explanation.

Steven slouched back in his seat, watching with lidded eyes as Ed practically interrogated Pearl. Ed seemed eager to learn but trying to suppress it, but that also failed as his interest tore through his pride and he was excitedly asking questions and getting an equally excited response.

What a nerd.

Steven snorted at his mental dialogue. Then his eyes drifted over to the pile of clothes on the coffee table. Fixed on that dark red spot. His mouth felt dry.

…

Those need to be washed.

Steven pushed himself to his feet and gathered up the clothes in one arm. “Hey Ed, I’ll be right back. I’m just gonna throw these into the washer.”

Ed waved him off dismissively as asked another question.

One quick warp and he was on the….Washing Hand. What even was this place called?

It was dark still, and the sky was lit with stars. Steven just dumped the clothes in with some soap and vinegar and set it to heavy-duty-wash-mode. He closed the lid, started it up, and the machine stuttered to life and rumbled underneath his hands.

Steven didn’t move.

He was fine.

 _Ed_ was fine.

It was okay. Just….think about how to help him. Get these clothes cleaned, ask how he could be helped. Maybe see if they could work on Ed’s issues.

Steven took a breath.

Okay.

Time to head back down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So anyway, at this point in time the 'Prickly Pair' episode of Steven Universe Future came out. And I am concerned for the baby. Luckily I have fanfiction.


	4. Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a snooze. And a fright

The light from the warp faded and Steven stepped back into the living room of his house. The….very quiet living room.

First thing he noticed was the silence, then he saw Pearl kneeling by the couch, looking at him with one finger pressed to her lips. Ed was tucked snugly into a blanket, his golden hair spilling out around his head. He was snoring softly.

“He’s asleep?” Steven whispered; a bit baffled. How long was he gone?

Pearl chuckled quietly “Yes, I was surprised too. He looked like he was nodding off, when I asked him about it, he said he was fine. Then, well…” she trailed off into a little giggle as the rest of the story was plainly obvious.

Steven sighed, running a hand through his hair “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. He had a long day.”

“Oh?” Pearl said, directing her attention to him. “Why is that?”

“Well-“ he began, then his eyes darted over to Ed. “Can we talk outside?”

“Of course.” Pearl said. The two moved out onto the porch, and Steven gently clicked the door shut behind them. He peered through the window, just in case. Ed was still snoozing away and showed no sign of knowing they left.

Steven sighed, straightened up and explained how exactly he came across Edward in the first place.

Pearl stared as Steven finished his story, then squawked “Wha-what!? Why on _earth_ would a human be _there_!?”

Steven frantically fanned her down “Pearl, hush!” he whispered-yelled “You’re going to wake him!”

Pearl slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes darting to the house as her and Steven both held their breaths.

…

…

…

Nothing.

They both sighed in relief.

“I don’t know why he was there. Or how. He didn’t seem to know either.” Steven explained. He grinned a bit sheepishly. “I…was kind of hoping you knew something….?”

Pearl slowly shook her head, folding her hands in front of her. “I don’t know how a human would wind up there while injured. It…doesn’t make sense.”

Steven sighed. “Okay, okay. Can….” He ran a hand down his face as he collected his thoughts. “Can you tell Amethyst and Garnet? So they don’t wonder who he is?”

“Of course-“

“No need.”

Both Pearl and Steven jumped at the sudden appearance of Garnet. She straightened her visor with a toothy grin. “Did I startle you?”

“Yes!” Pearl hissed quietly.

Steven chuckled a bit, then took a breath and carried on “Hey, uh-“

“I don’t know.” Garnet cut him off, folding her arms over her chest. “This is so outside the realm of possibility that it’s very difficult to know much of anything.”

“But you knew what was happening.” Pearl said.

Garnet smirked “Yeah, I was eavesdropping.”

“Ah.” Pearl rolled her eyes fondly. Steven deflated a bit, feeling a bit defeated. So this whole thing was so out-there that Garnet couldn’t help, Pearl didn’t know anything, and no offense to Amethyst but he doubted she did either.

Steven furrowed his brow, trying to pinpoint something he could use, something he could _do…_

“Oh!” Steven said, gaining the attentions of his present companions “He was using something called ‘Alchemy’, do either of you know what that is?”

“Alchemy?” Pearl repeated, quirking a brow “Are you sure you heard him right? That was a… ahm, ‘science’, that hasn’t been used in hundreds of years.”

“Hundreds of years…..?” Steven frowned.

“It wasn’t even much a science.” Garnet contributed “At the time it was the closest humans had to science, in a sense. But it didn’t really amount too much.”

Pearl said something in response but Steven wasn’t listening. Ed…had reacted odd to his phone. Very odd. He said he had never seen anything like it, which didn’t make all too much sense considering the time period they were in… they….were….in.

“I think he’s from the past.” Steven said as he stared holes into the ground.

Pearl and Garnet exchanged a look. Garnet straightened her visor “Well, that’s certainly a possibility.”

“I suppose that’s why your ‘Future’ vision doesn’t work, right?” Pearl said, an overexcited smile on her face as she playfully nudged Garnet “Seems like you need ‘Past’ vision!” She then slapped her knee with a little ‘ha!’.

Steven and Garnet gave a pity chuckle.

“Well, whatever’s going on,” Garnet said, looking at Steven “I think someone should probably head to bed.”

Steven’s first response was to say no - he was fine and he wasn’t a kid anymore, don’t tell him to go to bed like he was one - but in actuality…

“Yeah,” he said “that sounds like a good idea, actually. I’m beat.”

Pearl clapped her hands together and gave Steven a bright smile “We’ll work this out more in the morning, okay? Good night, Steven!”

“Sleep well.” Garnet said.

Steven smiled “Good night.”

They finished their goodbyes, Pearl and Garnet went off to do their own things while Steven got himself ready for bed. He eventually nestled into the covers, staring at the ceiling with a dull ache in his chest and pain in his head.

His eyes drifted shut.

…

_There was blood._

Steven gasped, scrambling to cover his mouth and nose and to get an idea of what was happening- and why it was so _sudden._ But that smell was rancid and intense and – and the stuff was _everywhere –_

_“Mom! Mom, please!”_

And that voice – who was that – where were they!?

They sounded so lost and small and _broken-_

_Where were they!?_

“Hey!” Steven called out, trying to find them.

The only response he got was more strangled cries, more screams asking what have I done, what have I _done-_

He was looking around so fast now he felt like his head might just twist off his body. But he couldn’t find them- and they were hurt and scared and needed help but-

But he couldn’t _do_ anything!

And

There

Was

So

_Much_

_BLOOD!_

Then his eyes snapped open.

And he was back in his bed.

Breathing heavily and drenched in his own sweat as tears pricked at his eyes and his hand clenched tight just above his heart. For a bit he just laid there and breathed. In…out…in….out….

And

Well…it was just a nightmare.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah geez. I'm afraid to write Garnet and Amethyst, I dunno how to accurately portray them... So. Uh. Feedback please, about Garnet. I'm pretty confident about Pearl but the other gems frighten me (in regards to writing them)  
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst joins the boys for breakfast....  
> The Battle for Bacon begins (and ends)

Steven stared intently at the saucepan. He forced himself to breathe slowly….1…2…3…

His eye kept on twitching involuntarily. 

“Stop doing that!” Ed spat.

“Doing _whaaattt?”_ A purple Ed said, batting his eyelashes. Ed sputtered incomprehensibly angry across the table.

Amethyst laughed, then Ed lunged over the table and punched her. Amethyst’s grin hitched up more

“Oh, you wanna go, twerp boy!?” 

“FIGHT ME!”

“I’M GONNA!”

Steven closed his eyes and took another deep breath. “Guys.”

They unintentionally ignored them, too caught up in trying to throttle each other. Amethyst shapeshifted to hover above Ed while sticking her tongue down at him. Ed’s response to this was to jump (almost ridiculously high) and try and slug her with his metal fist.

Steven drummed his fingers on the countertop. There was only one way to stop this. He’ll have to do it.

He clicked the stove off. Unloaded the saucepan onto a plate and braced himself.

“Hey guys, the bacon is ready-eeeeeehAAAAHHHH-!” Steven summoned up his shield, watching with a mix of bafflement and annoyance as both Ed and Amethyst slammed into the shield. 

“GIMME GIMME GIMME!” Amethyst grinned manically, stretching her arms around the shield.

“YOU DON’T EVEN NEED TO EAT!” Ed snapped, he tried to climb up the shield. “GIVE IT TO _ME,_ STEVEN!”

Amethyst pulled Ed down by the back of his shirt “How do you know whether or not I need to eat, Human Boy?”

“Pearl told me. Duh!”

“Someone listens to Pearl?”

“You’re going to listen to my _fist_ in a second!”

“Oooooo, I’m real scared!”

Incomprehensible gibberish from Ed.

Steven rolled his eyes affectionately, shoving the two off of the shield and bubbled the plate of bacon, pushing it up into the air. He dismissed his shield, picked Ed up under one arm and coaxed Amethyst into a chair with only minimal insults. Once she was grumpily seated, he placed Ed into a seat with a little pat to his head. He took in a breath to yell something, but Steven cut him short by bringing the bacon down to the table and distributing it accordingly.

Ed seemed to forget Steven existed and did his impression of a vacuum cleaner. Amethyst responded by literally turning into a vacuum cleaner. To which Ed responded by eating faster, determined not to be outdone.

Steven shook his head and slouched into his own seat, sipping at his protein shake as he watched the two of them have breakfast.

The nightmare from the previous night showed its affect across Steven’s face. The bags under his eyes were darker then normal, and his eyes seemed almost bloodshot. If he allowed himself to space out too much, he could still smell the blood. 

Steven hadn’t been able to sleep again after waking from that.

“Hey, Steven” Ed said. Steven jolted up.

“Yeah? What’s up?” Steven said, forcing a grin. Ed pushed Amethyst back, who’s attention shifted from trying to take Ed’s food to Steven.

She sat back and speared her food with a fork “You okay dude? You look. Well. Awful.”

Steven chuckled, awkwardly waving them down “I’m fine, really!”

“Bullshit.” “Liar.” Ed and Amethyst said at the same time. Steven cringed a bit, slouching.

“Watch your language, Ed.” He muttered absently. Ed snorted, narrowing his eyes into a look that made Steven feel….uncomfortable. It was a calm, intense and calculating look. One that had Steven double-checking his own thought process to make sure he wasn’t planning anything nefarious.

It reminded him of when he was younger. When he was a small, round, naive, and _oblivious_ boy and he did something stupid, and the Gems would scold him.

Steven snorted “I said I’m fine.”

Ed twitched, rising from his seat and opening his mouth. He didn’t get anything resembling a word out before Amethyst roughly yanked him back to his seat.

“Bad night?” Amethyst asked Steven.

Steven sighed, rubbing his face. He was that obvious? “…Yeah.”

Amethyst jabbed a finger at Ed “Did he keep you up?” Ed snarled at her to which Amethyst responded by making her eyes overly-large and noticeably on the googly side of things.

Steven snorted, amused. A snort that embarrassingly turned into a loud chortle as Ed gave him a look that rivaled that of Lion’s when you tell him you’re not going to give him your food.

“Hee hee hee…. N-no, it wasn’t Ed.” Steven chuckled, trying to ruffle his own unruly hair into place “I…Uh. I had a nightmare, I guess. Bad one.”

Ed shrunk in on himself, directing his attention to stabbing his fork into some bacon. Amethyst’s eyes lingered on him a moment, but dragged it over to Steven. 

“Wanna talk about it?” She asked.

Steven cringed. “…Not really?”

Amethyst shrugged “Alright.” She leaned over and tried to steal Ed’s food again. Ed slapped her wrist away, shoved a fork’s hold of bacon in his face, then pointed the prongs of the fork at Steven.

“Why aren’t you eating breakfast?” He said.

Steven made a face. Ed hadn’t even _swallowed_ before talking-

Oh. Right. Should respond.

“I _am_ eating breakfast.” He said with a smile, waggling the protein shake.

Ed rose an eyebrow.

Amethyst laughed, shrugging “Yeah, Steven doesn’t need much.”

…

“Okay.” Ed said, slowly, dragging his eyes down back to his food.

Steven sighed a bit, relieved.

“Aw! You care!” Amethyst cooed. Ed sputtered incomprehensibly, glaring at her.

“What the hell are you goin’ on about?”

“You CARE!” Amethyst grinned, poking Ed’s cheek (and he tried to bite of her finger). “You act all stoic and mean but you really care a lot!”

“Who the hell said I _didn’t!?”_

Amethyst took a moment to respond. She slumped back into her seat and shrugged “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

Steven laughed a bit.

He already knew Ed was a good person. He was just…alone, scared, and probably very confused too. 

The kid obviously cared a lot. He put on a brave face, pretending he wasn’t worried when things anyone would stress over weighed on him. Reminded Steven of someone, actually. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Eh. Probably wasn’t important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. So. Feedback on Amethyst please. Also I have very strong opinions on one Edward 'I will help you but not because I care' Elric. But this will be explored in the future. 
> 
> Oh, also, an FYI:  
> Steven is about seventeen-and-a-half in this. Edward is fourteen but going to be fifteen rather soon.
> 
> And just a random comment from me: It's hilarious to me how Steven 'Tell Me Your Feelings' Universe has won more fights than Edward 'Fight Me' Elric in their respective canons.


	6. The Warp Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone tell Ed to stop giving Steven heart attacks.

And Steven thought Ed and Amethyst were a bad combination…

“I’m just saying, a human your age should be taller-“

“YEAH!? PERIDOTS ARE A FUCKING CHEAP GEMSTONE-“

“ _EXCUSE_ me? No they are NOT!”

“Oh oh oh? What are peridots, again? Magensium, silicon and… what, iron? Big whoop. The only reason they’re considered ‘precious’ is due to the fact that they can’t tolerate weathering-“

Steven pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath as the two nerds nerded it out.

He thought maybe they could find some help for Ed at Little Homeworld. After all, there were a great many gems there who had all sorts of experiences. The first one he decided to ask was Peridot. And. Uh. That wasn’t going well.

“All right, all right, small and feisties, enough already.” Bismuth interjected, picking the squabbling human and gem off of the ground.

“DON’T CALL ME SMALL!” the two shorties screamed in unison.

Lapis chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand as the other arm crossed tighter across her chest. She’s been trying not to laugh this whole time – mainly because she knew it would turn the attention on her, and watching this was way funnier.

Steven groaned.

“Peridot…”

“Yeah, Steven?” Peridot grumbled, side-eyeing the half-breed from where she hung from Bismuth’s hand.

“Do you think we can…y’know, talk about what we came here for?”

Peridot snorted, motioning to Bismuth to put her down. She put her hands on her hips as soon as her feet touched the ground.

“All right, what is it?”

“HEY, put ME down too-!” Ed squawked.

“Nah.” Bismuth smirked, adjusting her hold so she was holding the blond like a suitcase. Ed hung there, annoyed and crossing his arms in a pout. He seemed oddly calm being held like that. Steven wondered vaguely if he was just used to that.

“All right. Uh. That’s Ed.” He said, motioning to the mentioned human (who gave a curt wave upon introduction). “And we think that he maybe time travelled?”

“ _Time travel?”_ Peridot scoffed, waving him off “That’s preposterous! Only an Hourglass can do that and only one of them have ever been made _successfully.”_

“Oh. I think I smashed that one.” Steven said, vaguely remembering another him with cool hair breaking it underneath his fist.

“Of course you did- YOU DID _WHAT!?”_ Peridot screeched, tugging at her hair “When did THIS happen!? Why didn’t you take it to ME!?” She put her hands on her chest, looking utterly betrayed “I could’ve gone back in time and stopped those _abominations_ that are the later seasons of CPH!”

“Yeah, _that_ would’ve been helpful.” Lapis snorted, rolling her eyes.

Steven ground his teeth, “We’re getting off topic here. So you’re sure this isn’t time travel?”

Peridot took a moment to continue being betrayed, Lapis patting her back in a comforting manner. Eventually, she straightened herself out.

“Ahm. Yes.” Peridot said, turning on heel and to tap a bit on a screen. “Time travel is most definitely out of the question. Especially for a normal human.”

“Bitch!” Ed snapped, squirming “I’m going to invent time travel just to prove you wrong, you magnesium-based piece of _sh-“_

Bismuth covered his mouth and nodded to Peridot to continue.

Steven furrowed his brows “But the phone… and alchemy….”

“Alchemy like that never existed in this world.” Peridot said knowingly with a shrug of her shoulders. That gained Ed’s attention quickly, as he stopped his muffled screaming and stared at her.

“What?” Steven said intelligently.

“The only ‘alchemy’ that’s been recorded in human history doesn’t include the clapping and lighting,” Peridot said, pressing her palms together to emphasize “It was more a mangled medical practice. For a while, humans would just throw random things together to make medicine. It was considered a foundation of science, given the procedures they used. But there was never any rhyme or reason to it.”

“O…kay…” Steven mumbled, crossing his arms. “So… no time travel…But a different world?” He eyed Ed who returned his confused stare with a just as confused stare. “There are humans on other worlds? Planets?”

“Of course.” Peridot said, turning her attention back to her screen “Humans are kind of like the cockroaches of the universe. Or rats? Point being, they tend to sneak onboard things they shouldn’t and end up all over the place.”

“So….”

“How did I end up _here?”_ Ed huffed, shaking free from Bismuth’s hand.

“You tell us.” Lapis said with a roll of her eyes.

They all watched as Ed’s eyes narrowed in thought, his flesh handing tapping at his chin thoughtfully. He glanced at something off to the side. Then he switched to muttering to himself.

Steven chewed his lip. Whatever had happened resulted in him injured…. And by himself. Neither of those things seemed good to Steven.

The half-breed tried not to grimace as he recalled the blood. And Ed had said he _lost_ his arm- What kind of world did he live in? What kind of _life_ has he lived?

His hand pressed against his chest and clutched at his heart. It was beating faster all of a sudden. The room suddenly seemed smaller, the echoes of screams ringing in his ears like a bell. The smell of _blood_ filled his senses the same time the urge to just _run_ hit him full force-

He felt a hand against his back, between his shoulder blades. It was pressing gently, rubbing small circles in a comforting way.

“Steven.” Lapis said quietly. Steven jolted, remembering that yes, he was Steven. For some reason he thought he wasn’t for a moment… He looked at the ocean gem, who smiled at him gently.

He returned it tenfold and mouthed ‘thank you’. She nodded, turning her eyes back to the scene in front of him.

Peridot and Bismuth quickly turned away from him, trying to hide the fact they were staring. Steven appreciated that. But at the same time, he felt his face heat up with embarrassment. Luckily, it seemed Ed was too deep in thought to notice his almost breakdown.

“What’s that, over there?” Ed said suddenly, breaking out of his trance “The weird platform thing? It looks like the one Pearl came through the other day.”

“The Warp Pad?” Steven said “What about it?”

Ed nudged Bismuth “Hey, put me down. I wanna check that thing out.”

Bismuth thought for a moment, but shrugged and put the kid down. Steven sure he wasn’t the only one worried he’d immediately pick another fight, but the blond instead made his way over to the object of interest. The three gems and Steven trailed behind.

Ed crouched down by it, running the fingers of his metal hand over it thoughtfully. The flesh hand was pressed to his mouth, one finger tapping on his cheek.

“How does this work?” he asked.

“Well, it more or less disassembles the constructions of a gem’s body into energy, then reassembles it back to its physical form when it gets to the destination.” Peridot explained.

Steven blanched “Wait, so we _disintegrate_ every time we use it- But- the warp stream-“

“Any ‘physical’ manifestation of the warp stream you saw was likely the result of your human mind not being able to comprehend it so it just…made something up.” She shrugged.

Steven gapped like a fish a few moments. He eventually just shook his head and decided that it really wasn’t important (but it was kind of creepy). He addressed Ed instead. Those yellow eyes were staring right at Steven.

“So it works on humans?” he said, swinging his focused glare back to the pad. “But only gems can activate it?”

“Yeah,” Lapis said “As far as I know, anyway.” She looked as Bismuth and Peridot who both gave her a confirming nod.

“Why?” Ed said, still poking the pad thoughtfully.

“Hmm….I dunno,” Peridot murmured “Maybe because Gems are more attuned with the energy of our bodies, so we can direct it as we want…”

Ed stayed silent for a moment. Steven…had no idea where he was going with this. In fact, a lot of this babble was going right over his head. When he thought about it, he never really considered the _science_ behind all this. It was always just… this a thing, do it. Hearing Peridot and Ed talk though, Steven felt rather silly. This is gem stuff, stuff he should know. But he didn’t. Maybe he should try to learn this more when everything was said and done…

But for now….

“Where are you going with this, Ed?” he asked, crouching next to him. Ed’s response was to stand up and step on the pad purposefully.

“I wanna try something,” he said, tapping the platform with the toe of his boot. The same boot he used to gently push Steven away. “Shoo. This might be stupid.”

“You probably shouldn’t try it, then,” Lapis said.

“Yeah kid, let’s think about this some more…” Bismuth added on, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Ed-“ Steven started.

“Too late doing it.” Ed said quickly, clapping his hands together. The pad flared to life, and suddenly Ed was gone.

“Ed-!” Steven choked, panic seizing up his heart. Did Ed know what he was doing- he said it might be stupid- what if he got hurt – what if he was _dead!?_

Steven made a lunge to activate the warp pad himself, but before he could the beam of light returned and Ed stepped out of it - looking smugly triumphant.

Steven almost melted, he was so relieved.

“Figured it out.” Ed said, tilting his chin up.

“Whaaaa…”Lapis and Bismuth practically said in unison, staring at Ed like they’ve never seen him before.

“Ah!” Peridot exclaimed excitedly, shuffling her feet up and down “I see what you did- the alchemy you use manipulates matter and energy-“

“Yeah, so all I needed was some way to direct that energy and matter-“

“-and that’s what the warp does! That way you were able to activate it-“

“Hey, uh, cool and all,” Bismuth interrupted. “…but how does that answer how Ed _got_ here?”

…

“You two complete forgot about that, huh?” Lapis smirked, a hand on her hip.

Steven chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “We’re a step closer though, right?”

“…yes.” Ed said, clearing his throat “That’s…that’s what I intended.”

“We totally didn’t forget all about that.” Peridot said, wringing her hands together while giving a shifty look.

Steven sighed, willing his panic to go away. At least Ed and Peridot were getting along better now. And they were closer to figuring out how to return Ed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow there was a LOT of science babble this chapter, huh? Please ignore any inaccuracies, my PHD in bologna is precious to me and I don't want it revoked.  
> Feedback on the gems who appeared this chapter, please.


	7. Lunch Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hijinks, mainly. Then the boys plan for lunch.

“So you can use the warps…Is that maybe how you got here?” Peridot murmured, tapping at her chin.

Ed shrugged “I don’t really remember much as to how I ended up in that field.”

“Well. That’s useful.” Lapis sighed. Ed scowled at her.

“Gee, thanks. I hadn’t noticed.”

Lapis scoffed “It was sarcasm.”

Ed gave her a flat look. Instead of continuing that conversation any further, he turned and addressed Steven.

“Was there any clues where you found me? Any hints?”

Steven grimaced. The memory of the scent of blood caused him to shudder a moment. He shook his head. “Not that I saw. There was just. Uh.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, training his attention on something else. “Blood?”

Ed’s face twisted into a pained expression. His flesh fingers curled into his formerly injured side. “Noted.”

Bismuth, Peridot, and Lapis exchanged looks while the weird fleshy lifeforms spoke. Bismuth leaned over to Lapis and whispered “What’s blood?”

“It’s what mosquitoes try to drink when they land on us. It’s a kind of… liquid, that carries oxygen through a human’s body.” Peridot explained.

“Ew.” Lapis contributed, scrunching her face up ever so slightly.

Steven…only half paid attention to them. His focus was on Ed. And Ed’s focus was on something else. He was tapping on his chin, his fingers curled over his mouth while he muttered words that were too quiet to make out.

Steven sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He wished he was better with this sort of thing. Maybe he had a power to send Ed home by FEELING or something.

Like. You know. All his powers.

He snapped back to himself when he heard Ed groan, running a hand down his face. “I got nothing.”

“Well, that’s a shame.” Peridot sighed, waving dismissively “No worries, new human. I’ll figure something out with my superior intellect.”

Ed growled. Like. Flat out growled. Steven was beginning to suspect that he was part dog or something. Like a chihuahua. Very angry, small, wants to fight a lot…. Wait, was he thinking about Ed or Peridot?

“ _ANYWAY.”_ Ed dragged the word out from his teeth. “I guess I’m kind of stuck on this…planet. Until I figure something out.”

“You can stay with me in the meantime.” Steven said instantly.

“You sure, Steven?” Bismuth said. She ran a hand through her rainbow dreads “He seems like kind of a handful…”

“Sure I’m sure-“

“I can find my own place.” Ed scoffed, interrupting Steven.

Steven rose and eyebrow. Behind him, Lapis made the same expression.

“You can?” Lapis said. “Don’t you need, like, money for that?”

“It’s a miracle you even speak the language of this specific area of the planet.” Peridot said “I _highly_ doubt you also have the same currency.”

“Shuddup before I reduce you to your most basic molecules!” Ed snapped.

Peridot bristled. “THROW HIM INTO THE OCEAN!” She demanded of Lapis, jabbing a finger at the blond boy.

“Eh. Dunno if I should.” Lapis said with a shrug “That sounds like it could be funny, actually…”

“Heheheheh, Peri might get even _smaller.”_ Bismuth added in.

“Guys, c’mon, knock it off.” Steven said with a sigh. The gems reluctantly agreed, sharing some muttered last-minute insults. While they sorted themselves out, the hybrid turned his attention back to Ed. “Seriosuly, Ed. I don’t mind.” He smiled “I’m human too – partly, and I know a thing or two of weird space stuff.” He strayed to place a hand on Ed’s shoulder. The blond stiffened a bit but didn’t swat him away or shout. Instead he just. Glared. Steven continued “Well. I know how to handle these things. Emotionally.”

Ed snorted “Fine. Whatever.” He brushed Steven’s hand away “But I sure as hell hope you have the cash to feed me.”

“No worries.” Steven grinned “My Dad’s rich.”

…

“What?” Ed blinked.

“Yeah. He has _tons_ of money.”

“Like…Space money?”

Steven couldn’t help it- he laughed a bit at that. When Ed’s temper spiked back up, Steven threw his hands up in the air in surrender as the much shorter boy tried to size him up.

“Sorry, sorry-! My Dad, he’s the human. I’m alien on my Mom’s side.”

Ed deflated a bit at that “Oh.”

…

Okkaaaayyy. That was a sudden change in demeanor.

Then again…. This whole situation could finally be…settling in. Ed must be feeling so very lost, and alone, and _scared_.

Maybe he needed some levity? Well…

“So, hey, it’s about lunch time, right?” Steven grinned “How ‘bout we go see my Dad? Maybe he’ll take us out for a bite to eat.”

“A bite would be insufficient to satisfy the typical human’s appetite.” Peridot interjected “You’ll likely need to eat more than just that much.

…

“So…can we go yet?” Ed muttered “Food’s food, no matter where you go. And m’hungry.”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Steven grinned. He addressed the gems present “Do you guys wanna come with?”

“Ew. No.” Peridot scoffed, sticking out her tongue as Ed snapped back at her.

“Hehe….I’ll pass, too.” Said Lapis “I got a nap to get in.”

“Same.” Bismuth said as she ruffled Steven’s hair “You two have fun, tell Greg I said hi.”

“Sure thing.” Steven said with a smile. “C’mon, Ed. Let’s go introduce you to Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I updated! :D I have this whole fic scribbled plot-point by plot-point on a piece of paper. Really I should update more often. But. Nah.


	8. Mr. Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions of music and meeting Greg.

Steven loaded himself into the car, drumming his fingers along the wheel a Ed loaded himself into the passenger’s seat next to him. The blond buckled up his seatbelt (to avoid Steven lecturing him on car safety again) and crossed his arms over his chest, kick his feet up onto the dashboard.

Steven gave him a pointed look. Ed rolled his eyes and put his feet down.

“So…. Your dad….” Ed said, trailing off a bit. Steven side-eyed him, most of his focus on the road ahead. Steven stayed silent and just gave Ed an encouraging smile.

Ed huffed, curling in on himself a bit. “….How is he?”

“huh?” Steven blinked. How…was he supposed to answer that? Like… Oh, he probably wanted a description or something, right? So. Um. “Just like any other dad, I guess.” He said with a shrug.

Ed scowled. “So I should kick his ass.”

“What!? No!” Steven sputtered “Of course not-! Why would you-!?”

Ed glared at him. “Just-!?” He snapped, stopping himself short and running his flesh hand down his face. “I guess – is he – you know…. Is he nice?”

Steven took a breath to steady himself and plastered a grin onto his face “Yeah, Dad’s really cool. I think you two will get along.”

Ed snorted, settling back down into his seat. “Fine.”

Steven sighed, his shoulders slumping. The car was left in an uncomfortable silence as the car puttered along. Ed was leaning against the door, staring forlornly out of the window at the passing landscape.

Steven chewed on his lip. His eyes went from Ed, to the road, to the cassette player and to the road again.

“Hey, mind if I put some music on?” He asked his passenger.

“What? Sure. Whatever.” Ed scoffed “Not my damn car.”

Steven just chuckled at that. He tapped at the cassette player with a grin. “I’m not sure if you’re much of a music person, but I really like this one. Dad wrote it- and sung it!”

Ed gave Steven a doubting look as the hybrid rambled on. His golden gaze swept to the cassette player, scrutinizing it how one would when debating whether or not to pet a mean-looking cat.

Steven couldn’t keep the grin off his face as the music started. Guitar riff! Then, Greg’s voice-

_“I know I’m not that tall…_

_I know I’m not that smart…_

_But let me drive my van into your he-a-art, Let me drive my van into your he-a-art….”_

“…Catchy.” Ed mumbled as the song went on. Steven’s grin grew bigger.

“I know, right? I love this one! Do you sing, Ed?”

Ed sputtered “Hell no! I don’t got time for that crap!”

“Well…” Steven hummed, tapping his fingers on the wheel “You have time _now….”_

…

“No.” Ed pouted.

“Hm. Okay.” Steven said with a shrug. “Can I play another one of Dad’s, then?”

“Whatever! You don’t need to ask me!” Ed snapped, slapping his face against his window and sliding down it with a comedic _squeeeeak._

Steven shrugged again.

Next song.

_“Some say I have no direction…_

_That I’m a lightspeed distraction…_

_But that’s a knee-jerk reaction.”_

Steven chose not to comment as Ed started tapping his foot to the beat, humming quietly. Yeah, he likes music too. Just doesn’t realize it, maybe.

Greg would probably encourage him though. Maybe get Ed to relax a bit.

“Here we are.” Steven said as they pulled up to the car wash.

“Wha-? Oh.” Ed said, blinking his eyes as if he were just broken out of a trance. And maybe he was. Steven tried not to let his grin be _too_ obvious. They hopped out of the car, Ed shoving his hands into his pants’ pockets as he followed Steven to Greg’s van.

“Dad!” Steven called.

“Ah!” The van shook as the yelp sounded. The vehicle rumbled a bit as Greg no doubt was getting his bearings.

Ed gave Steven a look that could be interpreted as ‘what’.

Steven shrugged. The doors to the back of the van sprang open abruptly- perhaps _too_ abruptly. Ed jumped, flailing like a cat for a second before realizing he had nothing to be flailing about. He frantically scrambled to compose himself, shoving his hands back into his pockets and slapping on a rather intense/unneeded glare.

Steven chuckled briefly, cutting it off with a fake cough.

“Oh! Heya, schtu-ball!” Greg greeted his son, ruffling the young man’s hair.

“Hey Dad.” Steven smiled. He motioned to Ed “This is Edward.”

“Edward? Cool name.” Greg hummed. He offered Ed his hand “Hi Ed, I’m Greg Universe.”

Ed glared at Greg, then his hand, then Steven. He rose an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Huh?” Steven blinked.

“’Universe’?”

“Oh! It’s a stage name.” Steven said with a shrug.

“A stage name that’s now my legal name.” Greg grinned, shooting the boys some finger guns.

“Oh.” Ed eyed him.

Greg’s grin turned a tad more forced. He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck “Ah geesh, what’s _that_ look for? Haha….”

“You’re buying lunch, right?” Ed said flatly.

“Ed!” Steven yelped. He groaned “Remember _manners…._?”

“Never heard of ‘em.” Ed smirked.

Greg blurted out a good-natured laugh, ruffling Ed’s hair. “Dontchu worry, Ed. I can get lunch.” He cracked his knuckles “I make a mean burger.”

“I’d like a nice burger, if you have one.” Steven quipped.

“Two means burgers and one nice, coming right up!” Greg grinned, turning on heel and making his way to fetch out his grill. Steven chuckled at his father’s antics. He turned to Ed.

“Hey, you okay with cheeseburgers-…Ed?”

Ed was staring at Greg. Kind of… Oddly. Curious. Confused.

“I… guess I don’t need. To kick his ass.” Ed muttered, glancing off to the side.

“Ed! Language!”

“I think it’s English, Schtu-Ball!”

“Dad!!!”

Ed laughed. It seemed almost as if even he was surprised by it, his eyes widening as if taken off-guard. He didn’t spend too much time fighting it though, laughing at the antics of the Universes.

Steven smiled.

He’ll be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe one day Ed will not give Steven a hard time.  
> Maybe.  
> Anyway I would like feedback on Greg. Did I write him okay? How about Steven? I'm pretty confident with Ed, saying I've been writing him since I was. like. 11. So 10 years - HOLY COW I'M OLD.


	9. Role Model

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Steven talk. Steven decides a role for himself in Ed's life.

Ed snored softly, curled underneath his coat as he slept on the beach chair. Steven watched him from his own seat, his chin propped on the palm of his hand. The rustling and shifting sounds nearby were tell tale of signs of the elder Universe man cleaning up after their lunch. Steven’s eyes darted in the direction of his father, then back to Ed. 

_Tap tap tap tap_

_Tap tap tap tap_

Steven drummed his fingers along his knee.

_Tap tap tap tap_

He really, _really_ wanted to talk to Greg about this whole…thing, with Ed. The distrust, the skepticism, the ….attitude. It was clear, at least to Steven, that Ed had been through a LOT. 

And.

Embarrassingly enough…

Steven really didn’t know how to handle it.

He’s dealt with all sorts of stuff, all sorts of personalities and conflicts of interest. All gems. All thousands upon thousands of years older than him, having to unlearn bad habits and learn new ones…. 

How many humans has really helped? Connie… No, she always saved him. Greg? Hmm…. No. Lars? Um… no, not really. Sadie found her own way, the Cool Kids too… Onion…

Steven snorted and decided it was best to not linger on that one.

Ed twitched a bit in his sleep, snapping Steven out of his thoughts. The younger boy muttered, curling in tighter on himself. Steven slowly stood and approached quietly. Ed’s face had twisted into something between a grimace and a sneer, his fingers clenching and unclenching, his breath quickening. 

A nightmare?

Steven sat himself onto the ground next to Ed, smoothing the blond locks out of the boy’s face and humming softly. Ed’s face pinched, maybe flinched, for a moment. Then he seemed to almost melt under the gentle touch, all tension draining from him as he steadied and calmed. He pulled his coat tighter around himself, shifting down to be more snug. He sighed contently.

Steven smiled.

“Hey, kiddo.” Greg whispered. Steven jumped a bit, startled. When did Greg get there? Geesh, who knew he was so sneaky….

Steven got to his feet, creeping away from Ed to sit with his father a good distance away. 

“Is Ed all right?” Greg said. 

“Yeah, he was just having a nightmare, I think.”

“Oh, that’s good, that’s good.” Greg nodded. His brows knitted together “But, um, I mean. Overall? What’s going on with him?”

“Oh, that.” Steven sighed. He ran a hand down his face. “It’s. Complicated.” His hand fell back into his lap as his head dropped in his sigh. “Can I talk about it?”

“Of course.” Greg didn’t miss a beat, ruffling Steven’s hair.

Steven smiled. “Okay… Thanks…. Where do I start? Hmm….”

“Well…” Greg rubbed the back of his neck. He eyed Ed “How about…. When did you meet him?”

“Oh! Right, right. Um. Yesterday.”

“That recently!?” Greg exclaimed. Steven frantically hushed him and Greg slapped a hand over his mouth. The two of them held their breaths as they watched Ed… Who showed no signs of stirring. They both relaxed.

“Uh. Yeah.” Steven said, leaning back. “Lion brought me to him, actually. Ed was passed out in that strawberry field. The one with all the giant stuff? Yeah, Ed was there and… not in good shape.” Steven grimaced. “He was… he was blee-… he was hurt.”

“yeesh.”

Steven chuckled at the bluntness of Greg’s (under) reaction.

“So he was hurt that bad?”

“That’s not even all of it!” Steven said, throwing his arms up in the air “So, the Gems think he’s not even from this planet.”

“But he’s human?” Greg said, noticeably distressed.

“Peridot says humans are all over the place. Like… um. Well she said cockroaches, but y’know.”

“So the kid wasn’t just hurt, he also just…ended up here? How!?”

“No idea.” Steven sighed “Ed said he doesn’t remember, either.”

….

“ _Should_ he remember?” Greg grimaced “It sounds like something bad happened to him…”

Steven bit his lip “Yeah.” He glanced back to Ed “Maybe we don’t need him to remember to get him back home….”

“Mhm.” 

With that, they both trailed into a tense silence. Steven wasn’t looking at his father, but he could tell that Greg was also looking at Edward. He seemed so much smaller when he was sleeping. Seemed so much like a _kid._

…

How old was Ed, anyway?

“Um? I dunno, maybe eleven? Twelve?”

Steven jumped at Greg’s voice. “Oh, geez, I didn’t realize I said that out loud.”

“Haha, no worries.” Greg chuckled, ruffling Steven’s hair. “It makes sense you’d think about it. After all, he’s acting so grown-up.”

“You think?” Steven slouched a bit, hugging himself.

“Yep.”

Ed was acting grown up? Why? He was a kid, he shouldn’t have to act like an adult. Someone else should step in and guide him, protect him…

Well. 

Steven saw no reason he couldn’t. He had no doubt he was older than Ed, and Steven definitely has experiences with weird stuff happening.

“Let’s just…take it one day at a time.” Steven said, leaning back on one hand, running the other through his hair.

“Good idea, Steven.”

“Mhm.”

Just…. 

Take it one day at a time.


End file.
